During the final event of track and field on Wednesday, a concerning moment unfolded in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
As Kenneth Rooks of the United States made a hard move to the front with 350 meters to go, a trio of Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco), Abraham Kibiwot (Kenya), and Lamecha Girma (Ethiopia) tried to quickly close the gap.
But right before the 200-meter mark, Girma clipped the land barrier with his back leg and fell to the ground hard, slamming the back of his head on the track.
Girma, 23, appeared to be unresponsive in the following moments, and a medical team attended to him on the track. He was strapped to a stretcher and then taken out of the competition area.
According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, Girma was first taken to a medical room at the Stade de France. The outlet reports that he lost consciousness after the fall but was responsive and able to talk a few minutes later. He was then transported to a hospital to receive additional attention.
El Bakkali won the race in 8:06.05. Rooks, in his first Olympics, ran the race of his life to get the silver medal, crossing the line in a personal best of 8:06.41. Kibiwot was close behind for bronze in 8:06.47.
Girma owns the world record in the steeplechase—7:52.11, which he set last June—and was, along with El Bakkali, one of the pre-race favorites to win. He took silver at the Tokyo Games and is also the world record holder in the indoor 3,000 meters (7:23.81).
Wednesday morning at the track was also characterized by falls. Multiple runners hit the ground in the preliminary heats of the 5,000 meters, including U.S. medal hope Abdihamid Nur. Some athletes were granted spots in the final, but Nur ultimately was not.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
